Vicar of Dibley

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The Vicar of Dibley is a defunct BBC comedy series starring Dawn French as the single straight female vicar of a small farming village in the English countryside. The cast of characters from the tiny parish provide endless fodder for the writers' imaginations, starting with those on the church's board of directors. They meet weekly to plan events and end up having hilarious conversations that leave me absolutely rolling with laughter. Of course, a single female vicar will have her suitors, and in such a small village, most of the men are already married and too young or too old. The Blessing of the Animals episode was both comedic and touching, as I am from a French Catholic corner of Louisiana, where Blessing of the Animals services are still performed and pets are valued family members brought for their special day on the church steps. The difference in the show is that the farmers, which is practically everyone in her parish, bring their flocks and herds to the grounds, and some of the smaller animals come right on into the church. You can imagine the outcome. It's very St. Francis of Assisi, as intended. There are the expected holidays, some out of town guests and a county fair with a guest appearance by a famous (in real life) young female vocalist from the area whose name now escapes me. If you need a good small town, spiritual, feminist laugh, catch the Vicar of Dibley reruns.